Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-12-23
TYPE MAKING..
IN Interesting Industry about Witch TIC
General Public Kno,c Little.

In answer to the frequent inquiry of
How do you make type?" we would
say that in the earliest days of the art
printers made their own type and per-
formed many other functions which are
now delegated to others, and the same
roof covered several different accessory
arts. Ere long, however, the trade
separated and the type founder took
his place in the ranks. OF course the
first tools and materials used wore
crude and poorly fitted for the purpose
for which they were designed. They
were, cast by hand, one at time, and
the processes were necessarily slow
and tedious. The first step in the
making of type is cutting the letter de-
sired on the end of a.fine piece of steel
forming the punch, which is afterward
hardened. This is an operation re-
curing great care and nicely there
being comparatively few adopts at it
that the various sorts or different let
tiers in font may be exactly uniform in
their width, height, and general proper
tions to each other. A separate punch
is required for each character in every
font of type, and the making of them is
the most expensive portion of type
founding. During the process of its
manufacture the punch is frequently
tested or-measured by delicate gauges
to insure its accuracy. When finished
smoke proof is taken and the letter
pronounced perfect, it is driven into o
piece Of polished copper called the
drive. This pssses to the filter, who
makes the width and depth of the faces
uniform throughout the font. They
must besmade to line exactly with each
other. When thus completed the drive
becomes the matrix, wherein the face
of the type is made. This undergoes
other processes in fitting and finishing
to make it true and square with the
body of the type. Matrices are also
made by the electrotype process for
the purpose of copying and multiplying
certain faces without mourning the great
expense Of cutting new punches. The
mould in which the body of the type is
formed is. made of hardened steel in
two Iarts; the one part is fastened to
the machine and is stationary, while
the other is movable, so that is may be
adjusted for the proper width of the
letters. as one is wider than another.
The accuracy OF these moulds is patent
to every printer, who knows that type
must be mathematically square, else
they could not be used.
The combined matrix and mould are
then adjusted to the type-casting ma
chine, which is set at work manufactur-
ing types at the rate of from 100 to
us per minute. The type-casting ma
chimes in general use in this country
and in Europe are Of American origin.
The american Printer gives the fol.
lowing description OF their operation
"The metal is kept fluid by little fur.
mace underneath, and it is projected
into the mould by a pump, the spout Of
which, you see, is in front of the metal
pot. The mould is movable, and al
every revolution OF the crank in the
hand of the workman it comes up to
spout, receives charge of metal and
flies back with a fully formed type in
its bosom; the upper half of the mould
lifts, and out jumps type as lively as
tadpole. You don't see how the let
ter was formed on the end Of the type:
True, we had forgotten; we'll, this
spring in front holds in loving proximity
to the mould copper matrix, such as
you saw just now in the fitting room
the letter q, for instance, stamped ii
the matrix, sits directly opposite the
aperture in the mould which meets the
spout of the pump; and when dus
proportion of o is cast another matri,
with b stamped in it takes its place
and SO on throughout the whole alpha
bet" In casting small fonts, where fire
quent changes are made in the moulds
the machines are driven by hand power
but when the fonts are large, as il
daily newspapers, steam is used as
motor, and the industrious little ma
chimes, with scarcely less than human
intelligence go humping along at thei
work, requiring but little care or atten
tion, except when changes in the matrice
and moulds become necessary. TIL
only practical method of making typ
is by casting them single. All attempt
at making them by swaging, cutting o
casting fifty or more at time hay
proven utter failures.
The types are not finished when the
leave the machine. There will b
found attached to each wedge shape
Jet, somewhat similar to bullet cas-
in hand mould. The loose type ar
placed upon circular tables, aroun
which are seated nimble fingered boy
or girls who pick them up at rate G
from two thousand to five thousand pc
hour, at the same time breaking off th
lets. A bur still adheres to the shoul
der of the type. and that is taken off b
the rubbers, who rub the sides of til